New Shoes, New Life, New Love
by tinkandbelle
Summary: AU: Rory has been attending a premier school in Austrailia, and when she returns home she finds that everything is different than she left it. Rory meets someone who she could love, and Lorelai has a new old squeeze... ROGAN, Balcony Buddies. R&R Please!


Rory was excited. She was coming home after four years of high school in Australia at lovely boarding school to get herself ahead in life. She had ended up graduating the top of her class and valedictorian. She had applied to every Ivy League school and Oxford, she finally decided on Yale, because it was the closest to her mother's home in Stars Hollow.

The Jumbo Jet that her Hayden grandparents had gotten her was preparing to land and her anxiousness was getting the better of her if she could have she would be pacing at the moment; her mother didn't even know that she was coming home yet, it was her surprise for the summer. She sat on her lap top completing her registration for Yale, picking her classes and times, as the jet touched down. She quickly put her things away into her computer bag and pulled out the wrinkles from her blouse and black pea coat and walked to the front of the plane from her desk in the back.

As she stepped down the flight of retractable stairs she slid on her oversized sunglasses and walked onto the area where her car and driver were waiting to retrieve her from the runway. The wind swept Rory's shoulder length brunette hair, and she smiled. Glad to be home, she got into the limo that the company had sent. They drove off after someone had placed the bags she had taken home with her into the trunk, and soon proceeded to fall asleep in the back seat.

Scene

When Rory awoke, she was pulling into the drive in front of the mansion in Stars Hollow. She was to bleary-eyed to notice the extra cars that were there, but if she had she would have fixed her frazzled hair (from tossing and turning in the back seat) and put in her contacts in before she walked in looking very exhausted and grubby looking after her sixteen hour flight. She unlocked the large front double doors and walked in.

At the same time the Gilmore's and the Hayden's were entertaining an equally well known family for dinner and they had just sat down to drinks when they heard a yell from the foyer.

"Hello, is anyone home?" a light British accented voice called throughout the gaping hallway, reverberating into the room where everyone had just sat down to share a lovely meal. At first everyone thought that they were just hearing something. "Is it just me, or…" Lorelai began.

"Lorelai, did you know she was coming home? I thought she had another quarter at Oxford before she could make it back." Emily whispered with haste to her daughter in a stern and panicked voice.

"She never said anything to Chris and I the last time we talked."

"Hello! Is anyone here—or has this suddenly become a ghost town? Because I really can't--" Rory's voice got louder and the Huntzburgers began to wonder who was calling out. Logan was sitting there wondering why he was even at this dinner when he could be out partying with his friends when she walked in, stopping noticing the room full of people, "tell…"

Lorelai stood up and hurried over to Rory, "Hey there kid." They both wrapped each other in a monumentous hug.

Rory pulled back, but still was close to her mom, "Mum you wouldn't even believe the flight I had. It was so long and the turbulence was terrible! And we ran out of coffee! Can you even believe that, no coffee half-way through the flight? I thought I was going to die, not to mention…" Rory stopped—for, there were many sets of eyes on her, "We have company. Oh dear God, I am so sorry. I um… I think that um… I'm just going to go up to my room and sleep. 'scuse me."

Logan had never met or seen a girl like her before, she had no reserves when she was talking to her mom, nor had he ever heard anyone ramble like she could. That was surprisingly a turn-on… No girl he had ever known would let herself be seen so unkempt either (especially walking into a room of the Hartford elite), it was oddly refreshing to him. Most of the prissies that he dated usually demanded a hair and makeup team just to walk into a room.

Lorelai nodded as Rory headed to her room. "I'll be right back…" She walked out of the room with her high heeled velvet turquoise Jimmy Choos resounding on the expensive wooden parquet flooring. She loved those shoes; she'd wear them everyday if she could. "Lorelai!" Emily called once sternly, "Lorelai! You just don't walk out of a room like that! Come back here!" Emily followed her out of the room.

She stopped and rolled her eyes, "What?"

"You just don't leave a room like that. We are entertaining very important people, you know."

"Yeah. I know, you made that clear when you set up this entire dinner."

"Well, then. Now that we've come to an agreement, are you going to come back?"

"Eventually. I wanted to get Rory some food and some coffee. She needs it. So, yes. I'll return—in a while." Lorelai turned around and walked into the kitchen and grabbed her turquoise silk purse—a gift from Christopher at Christmas the past year. In a huff, Emily returned to the party.

"Hey, Robert," Lorelai told the cook on loan from the Culinary Institute of America, "I'm just going to go… Uh... I'll be back soon. If Emily asks where I am, just… um… make something up." Lorelai struggled to come up with something as she stood there with Robert looking at her like she was nuts. She headed out the back door and walked towards the center of Stars Hollow. She knew exactly the food that would cheer up Rory: a big Luke's burger with an extra large coffee and a large side of fries—comfort food to the two food junkies.


End file.
